'Priscilla' a busload of fun at Proctors

SCHENECTADY -- There are those who say "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" is one of the best family musicals to come to Proctors.

One of those people is Joe Hart, who calls the musical "honest and heart-warming." He plays Bob, a conservative, middle-aged man who joins three drag performers on a bus journey across the Australian outback.

Also on the bus is the young son of one of the cross-dressing men who, for the first time in his life, is spending time with his father. Over the course of the trip, the father and son bond and Bob falls for Bernadette, one of the cross-dressing male performers.

As family fare goes, "Priscilla" is more Bette Midler than Mary Poppins.

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There is no question about the show's popularity. It was a hit in London and has been selling out on Broadway since it opened in 2011.

"I've been in a lot of Broadway shows and tours, but never have I been in a show so enthusiastically received by the audience," Hart said. "At the end of the show, it is like being hit with a tidal wave of noise from the spontaneous applause of the audience."

Hart understands if people are uncertain about "Priscilla" being wholesome theater. He and his wife discussed the issue in depth before letting their boys, 9 and 11, see dad perform in the show.

"Ultimately, we felt the show is about acceptance and finding oneself as an individual, which is good for kids to understand. It's also about this unique group of people who support each other to become a family," Hart said.

What were the kids' impressions?

"They wanted to know how they got the bus to move on stage and how the girls were able to fly," Hart said, laughing. "One said his favorite moments was when I sang." Joking, he added, "He immediately became my favorite."

Did the kids like the show?

"They loved it, especially when I came out dressed as a dancing kangaroo."

A dancing kangaroo?

That's another thing about "Priscilla" -- it is filled with camp comedy and extravagant production numbers. It is one of the largest shows on tour, with more than 500 costumes and a set that has to be seen to be believed -- especially the bus.

Hart said the actors have to be careful not to let the glitz and glitter overwhelm the tender emotions of the show.

"Our leads are great," he said. "Wade McColum is fantastic as the father who is terrified about meeting his son. He brings enormous heart to the story."

Hart was raised in Westchester County and went to college in Fredonia, in upstate New York. The son of a New York City fireman, he started in theater on the local level. By the time he was a young adult he was performing in shows on and off Broadway.

The actor has been living in Los Angeles since 1986 because he feels there are more opportunities to be cast in film and television roles in California. That might be true, but he calls his film career a version of "Where's Waldo." He can list many impressive names of directors and stars with whom he's worked, "but," he said, "my scenes fell to the cutting room floor like they were the butt end of a bologna."

Now in his mid-50s, Hart is in the enviable position of working regularly in an industry he loves. In "Priscilla," he's the major supporting character. Actually, he's the fourth lead and comes on mid-way into the show to steal the audience's heart.

"It's a great gig in a great show," he said. "And it was a show that my kids loved."